Review Groundup Cafe - Porirua

They have a wide variety of delicious looking cabinet food. Quite hard to choose as they all look good. They also have menus to choose from. I ordered a filo filled with chicken, camembert and cranberry from the cabinet with a side salad which was delicious and they presented it very nicely. I also had a very good looking fruit tart as a dessert with a Latte. Absolutely delicious! My friends ordered a Veggie breakfast, Salmon scrambled eggs and Creamy garlic mushrooms. Their toasts came separately. The food all looked really good and they all enjoyed their food. By the time when we went to order for another drink at the cashier about 12:30pm (on Saturday), there was a massive queue. It took a while to order but the staff were all friendly and their food comes out timely. A pet friendly place. So I saw some well mannered cute doggies coming in and out there. We’d certainly recommend this place.

Lovely breakfast with my daughter. Coffee is great and the service was fast, perfectly timed and friendly. I highly recommend and will definitely be going back.

1st time there loved it. Tryed there max burger so good 👌 great place to go for lunch. Parking space at the back of the cafe

Good service and food is tasty with a great volume. A bit sad for the ducks around as we’re not able to feed them.

Came in with 2 unhappy kids for a quick treat. Cheese scone, great! Caramel slice, great! Chicken sandwich, soggy lettuce, cucumber and bread made it inedible. Showed the waitress and no questions asked, asked if I'd like one for the road. 'No one likes a soggy sandwich'. Really appreciated the quick and thoughtful resolution.

How was this place hidden all these years? I loved it! Me and my boyfriend went for the first time and it’s our favourite spot. Just chill and nice service and the food is better than we thought! Totally worth it, and the food cabinet?! We saw this man who needed to double checked it looked perfect and he just looks like a perfectionist and very passionate about his work, the tart? Fresh food and it was amazing! Our drinks were the best! Can’t wait to come again!

We visited Groundup Cafe on Sunday morning and found it to be a very busy, friendly cafe in the Pauatahanui village. Their coffee was perfect, and their cheese scones were the best I have had in some time, absolutely divine. Would definitely return the next time I pass through the village. Highly recommended

As always - a superb country cafe! The food is excellent, the staff are friendly and very good - and I'll usually stop by for a drink and something to eat if I'm passing!

Great food and awesome food. Will definitely be back. Staff are really friendly and always showing care for their customers. Definitely pop in for for brunch if you have time. You won’t be disappointed! 👍

Fantastic place to stop in for food and coffee. Great service. Fantastic food. Highly recommend.

What a great spot in the lovely Pauatahanui. Lots of seat, indoors, outdoors, sort of outdoors - light and bright. Good cabinet is a thing of beauty, lovely which, filo, sausage roll, cheesecake, slices, cakes and so on are presented in their full glory. And there are items on the counter too like muffins, scone, choc eclairs and afghans (with a Jaffa centerpiece). Today also for sale at the counter were small bags of shortbread, mini afghans with said Jaffa and what looked like small choc chip bikkies. Heaps of variety then a breakfast and lunch menus to tempt you! Friendly bloke at the counter, very busy, great coffee.

Such yummy food, lovely service and great prices. So delicious 🌟

Delicious sandwiches and coffee. Highly Recommended.

Absolutely amazing food, service fantastic staff so friendly Gourmet toastie Creamy Garlic Mushrooms with bacon

I come here occasionally and they always have a good offer of food in great quality. Today they jad no ice in a warm Sunday morning for iced coffee. Because they have plastic cups for free water and no glasses they get one star less from me.

A lovely selection of food, quick and friendly service. Both inside and outside dining and lots of parking.

The food is good but they obviously do not want you to bring your baby to the cafe as they do not have any high chairs. This is the first time I have been to a cafe without a high chair. It is very disappointing. They used to have them.

This has been a regular go to cafe of mine for many years. Great service and great food, you wont be disappointed!

Good service.  Carrot cake always has icing on top - not cream cheese, so that's pretty lazy.  Car park could do with proper sealing.  Employees sweep the gutter every morning and sweep all the leaves into the drain -  not good at all!!  So an attitude improvement by management  is needed - seal car park to a good standard and do not block drain habitually.

Similar to Faulty Towers except you get abused in the car park by some nutter.  Food average to poor, over priced.  Queen Street prices for back block service.

Great little cafe in Pauatahanui. Decent food, friendly staff and good availability for seating and parking.<br/>Although their food is quite pricey it is quite tasty. Sausage Roll from the cabinet and Nachos are always my go to when I visit.<br/>Coffee from here is also really good.<br/>Ground Up does get quite busy on weekends especially between 10am - Midday after kids sport and they don't do bookings so if you are coming with a group you could take your chance but may pay to go somewhere else. Also does take a while for your food and coffee to arrive when they are busy.<br/>Still a good little local cafe to visit.<br/><br/>Food - 8/10<br/>Coffee - 8/10<br/>Friendliness - 7/10<br/>Cleanliness - 6/10<br/>Price - 6/10<br/><br/>Would I return - Yes

Very average food - three tiny pieces of salmon on scrambled eggs for $18. Russian Rye is not even close to one you may buy in Russia (it tasted as bread from supermarket). Nothing for kids - no kids menu, no toys corner. Coffee was good though.<br/><br/>

Ordered 2 Eggs Benedict and 2 nuggets and fries. Waited about 20 mins and the eggs Benedict's came out. Waited another 20 mins for the kids nuggets and chips to come out!! Kids were starving and our meals were now cold. One plate had 5 nuggets and there were meant to be 6, kids do notice these things! Then we had our cold eggs and the 'ham' which was so thin you could almost see through it, and it was grey colour in the parts that hadn't been grilled. Pretty disappointed over all. Staff we dealt with were not friendly or accommodating. For the price and location I had high hopes. Let down big time

Groundup in Pauatahanui recently. Man, my girlfriend went ahead to order, she came out while I was still parking the car. She said the staff looked stressed out and there were customers waiting. We went to the Supply Room in Paremata and thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed our spare ribs, fries and a cold brewsky looking out to the Bay....only cost us $20!

was utterly appalled at how rude the staff are, and extremely unaccommodating for children. I refused to stay and went somewhere else. Whilst i realize not all places have to be nice to patrons with children, if you have highchairs etc then i expect some form of decent customer service. the menu is printed on the board so you cant look and decide what you want in peace (or comfort) and with small children it's a nightmare. ended up going to whitby co-op and it is now our local every sunday as they are SO great with kids.

I've been to ground up before and loved the casual atmosphere and food. So I was looking forward to going in today. I walked in to a full busy cafe & asked the person behind the counter if there was a table for two available because I didn't want to walk straight through as I thought this might be inconvenient for the wait staff - his words were "How would I know, I've been standing in this exact spot all morning." <br/>While that is understandable, I feel like he could've been much nicer about it. Needless to say, we left and went to another cafe close by.

This has been a popular brunch excursion for my partner and myself for many years, always enjoyed it until last visit. Food was very average, my eggs Benedict came with round pre sliced supermarket processed ham! Come on guys, you charge the gourmet price and deliver stuff like that! I don't know if the ownership has changed or what's happened. Won't be going back in a hurry.

We are regulars here and can highly recommend Ground Up. It's the perfect place to drive to from Whitby to meet friends from the Hutt. The food is consistently of a high standard (great veggie breakfast) and service is fast. A decent tea menu too!

Facing a busy road is groundup cafe. There are basically 3 areas for seating: indoor, alfresco or seats facing the road. They have ample car park lots behind it too! <br/>Foodwise: By the time we arrived, kitchen was closed so we were only limited to choices in the cabinet. It was a huge variety and everything looks great! I also appreciate it when crews recommend whats good as opposed to "everything's good!" IKR. So anyway, we chose a bacon spinach pastry and a croissant loaded with bacon, egg and veg coupled with a warm mocha and latte. Guess what? Everything hit the spot. Special shoutout to the barista who made our awesome coffee and the very friendly Max. No reason not to visit when it's so near my place :) Highly recommended!

My favourite cafe in Wellington. The coffee is consistently excellent, staff friendly and would sort any problem for you. Food is great, not cheap but very enjoyable. Open long hours which is great as you can get a coffee from 7.30 am and until 5pm when most cafes are closed. Would love a  little more choice and change of cabinet food especially smaller savoury foods (like club sandwiches) for those of us who don't want something too sweet, although the slices are amazing. Best cheese scones ever. Love to sit outside to enjoy the interesting location. Suitable for all ages. You can bring your dog to the two outside areas and water bowls are available for them. Happy to recommend Groundup.

Just been here today (Wednesday 20th Jan 2016) for lunch, and it was absolutely delicious. I came with 6 friends and we all had a good lunch. I ordered the special of the day which was a chicken salad, $16, but well worth it. Yummy. And an English breakfast pot of tea. <br/>Overall, good staff, good food, and good atmosphere. Very good.

Groundup...  most definitely the go to Cafe in the Porirua region<br/>A wonderful variety of both cabinet and menu board food to tempt even the fussiest taste buds, staff that deliver service with excellence, and coffee to die for!!!<br/>All this and a magical setting and relaxed atmosphere

A bit of a trek to be an everyday coffee place for most but when passing through the haywood it deserves a stop off. Haven't had food here yet but it all looks and sounds very tasty. Coffee is very good.

Been here today at lunch time around 12.20pm. With only two small tables left. Till was very busy with long cue. Atmosphere warmly welcomes people. Set up of counter is great. Organised and clean. Plenty choices in cabinet. Good plating skill. Presentations really make those foods attractive. But we still decided to try their foods on menu. <br/>4mins waiting time on both coffees. Latte and flat white. 9mins for both dishes. Blat and Corn fritter. <br/><br/>Coffees were very good. No matter Milk, temperature, or taste. Same Ripe coffee bean, I would say this barista really knows how to play with his coffees, comparing to other premises. <br/>Foods are very average. Blat was good. Nice presentation with freshness everything. But corn fritter was a bit disappointing me. Cuz I ordered extra bacon which makes the plate more eatable. Over coloured corn fritters. Or overcooked? Very soft, which was falling parts hard. What I reckon they recooked it and warmed it up in microwave. Otherwise it wouldn't have extra moisture inside and abnormal soft texture. 17.50 for this corn fritter with those cheap chips was another point letting me down. Should be hand cut chips/wages or something price/matchable sides. Anyway, salad was A+, fresh with capsicum, mesclun, cucumber and onion. Dressing was just good. Personally, I prefer corn fritter with avocado, tomato with bacon, and this salad on side. The traditional way. <br/>Cuz of the first excellent coffees we decided to have second one with dessert for both of us. Desserts were good. Only suggestion is maybe more lemon taste to balance its strong sweetness of citrus slice?<br/>I like this place. Only reason I didn't rate 5 is that corn fritter dish.<br/><br/>Another time here<br/>Coffees are always perfect. Rated for 5. Can't find anymore cafes doing better coffees than here.

Stopped in here the other day just for coffee to go with a friend and we walked out with a yummy savoury and sweet treat.  The coffee hit the spot but the food is always hard to pass up, it's just so darn good!<br/><br/>Parking easy, toilets clean and good variety of food priced fairly. Service is not overly friendly though would think this is due to them being under the pump.  <br/><br/>Consistent and worth a visit.

First time at this café - was very busy yet the service was quick and friendly - the corn fritters outstanding as was the side salad - scrambled eggs among the best and the coffee was outstanding - latte lovely hot strong coffee - will definitely visit again

Have been here a couple of times now love the service you are always greeted in a friendly manner I come from the cafe industry so know that some days are crazy but these guys don't show it love there coffee as I drink it black I can tell if it's a bad one keep up the good work guys I will be back

While I am going to phone the manager of this Cafe, when I looked up for phone number I can see I can also post my opinion here. <br/><br/>At both Queens birthday and Easter this year, I got a large latte on my way up North. It was awful!! rephrase that - disgusting.<br/>Yes, okay, I should have learnt my lesson the first time but trip warranted it and I didn't believe it could be as bad - well it wasn't, it was worse the second time. <br/> <br/>While I'm okay with it hot, it was scalding, burnt and bitter in flavour. Actually, I had to dump it on the latter occasion and couldn't drink much of the first. <br/><br/>I enjoy great coffee and don't believe Groundup provides it. <br/><br/>I noted on both occasions that the staff were all males.<br/>I didn't want to give a star thinking it meant a minor pass but it means terrible.

I have eaten at this cafe before and enjoyed coffee and something to eat, and the setting.<br/>BUT my mothers day brekkie was really disappointing. The HOTcakes and bacon were cold, and the bacon overcooked and hard, the fruit was icy cold (and just the advertised banana and berries would have been perfect), and the 3 huge piles of cream... ugh! (son added to his scrambled eggs!). Optional or in a small dish on the side would have been preferable. I'm guessing the maple syrup was drizzled somewhere but hard to know. Marshmallows stuck on top would be great for kids but ..............not for me.

Decided to pop in the Groundup Cafe for a Easter Monday brunch.<br/>I had the big breakfast with a hot cross bun, my wife the eggs Benedict and our daughter the Hot cakes, great fast service, great meals at a not too bad price. The big breakfast was a good size and very filling. My wife and daughter were very happy with their choices.<br/>Only two things, bacon could have been a bit crisper and hot cross bun was grilled and flattened without checking with me if I wanted it heated or not, it was just assumed. I didn't. Will be back to try the lunch menu very soon.

Love the food, love the coffee, and the staff are super friendly. I regularly have business meetings here, as well as stopping in to grab a coffee when I don't have time to eat (and when the queue is not too long!). The location is really great, especially in summer, all we need now is an evening service with a courtesy bus!

This cafe has in the past provided great coffee. Today was not one of those days. I watched the staff member making the coffee scrape off the extra ground beans in the portafilter with his index finger (he also was texting not 5 minutes later).<br/>I had the vege mixed grill... For the prices, I'd expect everything to be made from scratch on the premises. The hash browns are the same as McDonald's and the tomatoes were warm but very close to raw.<br/>Several times I noticed staff on their mobiles. If I were the owner, I'd be worried.

I had the hotcakes which were beautifully presented (photo added). Three huge hotcakes presented with bananas, mixed berries, rock melon, bacon, maple syrup & cream with a marshmallow garnish. Almost too pretty to eat. But I did & enjoyed it thoroughly. My fiancee had the mixed grill - a hefty portion of kransky sausages, tomato, eggs, hash browns, & bacon (how about some mushrooms?). We were so impressed with the food we will go back again. The staff were friendly and the environment pleasant - I don't have a lot to say about these aspects as it was just the same as anywhere else - neither bad nor fantastic. For me though, I've had the only two things on the menu I would eat so the excitement has passed.<br/><br/>My husband's point of view:<br/>An early Sunday morning breakfast for four bought us back here a second time, after a pretty impressive first visit.<br/><br/>The venue is pleasant and the service is to an acceptable standard.<br/><br/>All members of our group were very satisfied with the food. The salmon and scrambled eggs dish was well received, with compliments on the amount of salmon supplied.<br/><br/>The missus and I both had the Big Breakfast, and after she got my tomatoes and mushrooms, and I scored her bacon and hash-browns, we were both very happy. I thought I'd live life on the edge, and after paying asked if mine could be accompanied by a small bowl of hollandaise. It was a casual request, if it happened then all good, if not then life goes on.<br/><br/>It did happen, and I was impressed. Often a request of that nature can cause raising of eyebrows, but they didn't miss a beat. Well done guys.<br/><br/>The sausages that come with the dish were a bit odd - the missus thought they tasted 'off'...but then there's so many different types and flavours these days it might just be how they are. I was however a bit disappointed to note the poached eggs had been cooked in an egg-poacher mould, and not free-styled as any competent cafe chef should be able to do. Still, they were quality eggs and tasted just the same as usual.<br/><br/>The only change I would like to see is printed menus that you can take to the table and peruse at leisure, as opposed to the blackboard by the counter. This would stop people getting in the way of each other, and those deciding what to have jostling with those who are ordering and paying. But hey, when in Rome..<br/><br/>All in all, we'll be back.

An average coffee experience, with nothing that stands out and nothing that detracts either. Ristretto long-black was made to a mediocre standard, with very little crema and a thin body. <br/>Service was very prompt, which is why this establishment gets three stars instead of two.

We love going here for our big breakfast. Definitely recommend going for a weekend brunch.

After a lovely walk around the Bird Sanctuary a friend and I went for a lunch &amp; coffee at Groundup Cafe. Medium prices and very good coffee. I noticed quite a few people passing by in their trucks or vans popping in for takeaways. <br/><br/>We sat outside in their courtyard in the sunshine which was very relaxing.

Amazing guys! I look forward to my daily Mocha there. Te food is great too! The slices are delicious and the chips/wedges are nice too.